If you have filed a claim for long-term disability benefits you can be assured that the long-term disability carrier will be asking lots of questions!

If your physical condition causes pain that interferes with your ability to work, your long-term disability carrier will be particularly interested in asking questions about your pain. These questions will include:

1. What is your current level of pain on a pain scale of 1 to 10?

2. Does your pain level vary?

3. Do you have good days and bad days? How often?

4. Where do you experience pain?

Some physicians will have their patients complete at each visit a pain diagram that will also ask you to rate your pain on a scale of 1 to 10. If you fill out those forms for your doctor, get a copy of every form you filled out before you complete the long-term disability questionnaire. You want to make sure that what you’ve told your physician at each visit is consistent with what you’re reporting to the long-term disability carrier.

If the long-term disability carrier doesn’t define the pain scale, ask them how they define before you answer those questions.

Make sure that your explanations about where you have your pain is also consistent with what you’ve reported to your doctor.

To avoid making a crucial mistake in completing the Activity of Daily Living form for your long-term disability carrier, consider consulting with an experienced ERISA disability Attorney, like Nancy Cavey. Long-term disability/ERISA disability carriers love to jump all over inconsistencies and use them as a basis of denying your client. Protect yourself!

If you have any questions, please give us a call at 727.894.3188 or contact us online by clicking here.